1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to hand tools and more precisely to a multipurpose bicycle repair and maintenance tool kit. The present invention is a compact bicycle tool kit easily carried on the bike or by the rider for use if a breakdown occurs or an adjustment needs to be made on the road.
2. Description of Prior Art
Bicyclists have long been plagued with the problem of minor breakdowns occurring while riding when they are far from help or access to repair equipment. Because of the excess weight and limited storage space, conventional tools are seldom transported along with the bike for repair and adjustment purposes. The majority of problems occurring on conventional bicycles can be fixed or adjusted with only a few specific tools. Combining these specific tools into one lightweight compact unit would be particularly useful to the biker which is the purpose of the immediate invention.
A past art patent search was conducted at the U.S. Patent Office to examine kits and combination tools which included specific tools required for certain areas of bicycle repair. Most multipurpose tools and kits specifically for bicycle use appeared inadequate. Of those patents examined, the following were considered most pertinent to my invention: J. L. Weston was granted U.S. Pat. No. 4,477,936, on Oct. 23, 1984, for a multipurpose bicycle tool. Although this device contains several useful tools it does not contain a chain link remover which is vital for repairing a broken bike chain, nor does it contain any allen wrenches for seat adjustments. The patent issued to T. H. Hitchcock, U.S. Pat. No. 4,122,569, dated Oct. 31, 1978, teaches a universal tool having a variety of uses. However, the Hitchcock device also does not have a chain link remover. A tool similar to the Hitchcock and Weston devices was patented by R. L. Beeks, U.S. Pat. No. 3,370,307, dated Feb. 27, 1968. The chain link remover is again one of the necessary elements missing from this device to make it useful as a bicycle repair tool.
Several past art devices included tools primarily for removal of links from chains without including other tool combinations. Typical of these tools is the R. C. Jordan device, patented in the U.S. on Sep. 9, 1980, U.S. Pat. No. 4,221,113, and the tool shown in a U.S. patent issued to J. F. Granados, on Aug. 1, 1978, U.S. Pat. No. 4,103,378. Granados discloses a tool principally designed for chain breaking which also has tool parts for tightening wheel spokes and for trueing or dishing bicycle wheels.
None of the devices shown in past art patents included sufficient tools needed for most of the basic repair problems prevalent to bicycles. My device not only includes all the necessary tools but combines them into a compact and relatively lightweight portable kit sized to be carried in a pouch attached to the bicycle or by the bicycle rider.